2006 Ford Freestyle

I OWN A FORD 2006 FREESTYLE THAT ACCELERATES BY ITSELF WHEN IN REVERSE. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE DEALER SAID IT WAS A FAILED THROTTLE BODY. THIS PART FAILED IN ALMOST EVERY FORD FREESTYLE FOR 2005/6/7 SINCE FORD WAS MFG. DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY PARTS. THE PART IS NOW ON NATIONAL BACKORDER, AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT REPORTED ALMOST GETTING KILLED ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE THIS DEFECTIVE PART CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO GO DEAD OR THE CAR TO ACCELERATE OUT OF CONTROL. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET THE PART UNTIL DECEMBER, AND FORD DOES NOT HAVE IT ON RECALL. MY DEALER, MAROONE FORD, EXPECTS ME TO PAY $950.00 FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PART, WHICH THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE AND CAN'T GET UNTIL AFTER SEPTEMBER. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER FROM BEING IN 2 CAR ACCIDENTS. I BOUGHT THE FORD FREESTYLE BECAUSE I WAS TOLD IT IS A SAFE CAR. I FEAR FOR MY LIFE AND THE LIFE OF ANYONE THAT GETS IN THE CAR WITH ME NOW. I HAVE NO OTHER CAR TO DRIVE. I AM VERY WORRIED AND UPSET. I HAVE BEEN SENDING LETTER TO FORD CORP. OFFICES, BUT NO RESPONSE SO FAR. *TR

MY WIFE AND I OWN TWO 2006 FORD FREESTYLES. ONE HAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES AND THE OTHER 50,000 MILES. RIGHT ABOUT THE SAME TIME IN APRIL/MAY 2009 BOTH VEHICLES STARTED HAVE ENGINE PROBLEMS. BOTH WERE TAKEN TO FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR -- THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ON BOTH VEHICLES. EACH REPAIR WAS COVERED BY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 100,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY CAUSED THE ENGINE TO REV UP AND WANT TO TAKE OFF ON ITS OWN -- EVEN WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED DOWN. OTHER TIMES THE ENGINE WOULD JUST SHUT OFF. EITHER OF THESE CAUSED POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. ALTHOUGH NEITHER VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN ANY ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS FACTORY INSTALLED EQUIPMENT THE POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS ACCIDENT/INJURY WAS GREAT. BOTH VEHICLES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AND ARE RUNNING WELL -- FOR ABOUT $200.00 DOLLARS EACH FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE OLD PARTS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. *TR

WHILE CURBSIDE AT THE AIRPORT MY 2006 FORD FREESTYLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE BY ITSELF. AND NEARLY PLOWED INTO THE CAR AND PEDESTRIANS IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN THE ACCELERATION SUBSIDED I REPOSITIONED MY FEET (LEFT FOOT BRAKE, RIGHT FOOT ON FLOOR) BECAUSE I THOUGHT MY FOOT WAS ON BOTH THE BRAKE AND THE ACCELERATOR. A MINUTE OR SO LATER THE CAR DID IT AGAIN, I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND TURNED IT OFF. WHEN MY PASSENGERS WERE RE LOADED I STARTED THE CAR AND WHILE LEAVING THE AIRPORT NOTICED THE CAR WAS VERY SLUGGISH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THAT DAY. AFTER MORE THAN TWO DAYS, LOTS OF PHONE CALLS (ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM "BUT WE'RE NOT SURE") AND A LOT OF NEGOTIATION BETWEEN THE DEALER AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY "PROVIDER" IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY WAS THE CULPRIT BUT "THE PART WAS ON NATIONWIDE BACK-ORDER" IN FACT "WE HAVE ANOTHER FREESTYLE OUT IN THE BACK THAT HAS BEEN WAITING FOR A MONTH". THE TUNE CHANGED CONSIDERABLY WHEN THE DEALER FOUND OUT THAT I WAS NOT ONLY CONSIDERING A LEGAL PATH FOR RESOLUTION, BUT MY WIFE WAS A "CONSUMER COP" FOR THE STATE WHERE WE LIVE. THE PARTS (2)WERE "FOUND" IN CALIFORNIA AND AIR-FREIGHTED TO OUR DEALER WHO PROMPTLY FIXED BOTH CARS THAT DAY. I WAS CHARGED $550+ FOR THE REPAIR(NEITHER FORD OR THE 100K MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY "PROVIDER" COVERED THE WORK). IT SEEMS THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS EXACT PROBLEM TOO, HOW MANY DOES IT TAKE? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO GET KILLED OR INJURED FOR SOME ONE TO FIGURE OUT THAT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR OR CONSUMER CAUSED PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE WITH LESS THAN 15,000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING NORTH BOUND ON INTERSTATE 75 BETWEEN MILE MARKER 101 AND 128 THE GAS TANK WAS PUNCTURED. WHAT PUNCTURED THE GAS TANK IS UNKNOWN BUT THERE WAS A SMALL AREA OF "BURRING" AND THE TANK CRACKED APPROX. 4 INCHES RELEASING FUEL. THE GAS TANK AND LINER FAILED BY WHAT APPEARS TO BE A SMALL IMPACT. CONSEQUENCE WAS RELEASE OF FUEL (FULL TANK). FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO ADVERSE OUTCOME OTHER THAN REPLACING THE TANK AND FUEL... THE TANK IS BEING REPLACED. I WILL RETAIN THE DAMAGED TANK FOR FURTHER INSPECTIONS. IF THE NHTSA WOULD LIKE TO EXAMINE THE TANK PLEASE CONTACT ME AND I WILL PROVIDE IT TO YOU. 1. NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING/DEBRIS SHOULD NOT PUNCTURE THE TANK AND CREATE THIS UNSAFE CONDITION. HAD THE FUEL IGNITED THEN SERIOUS BODILY HARM OR DEATH COULD HAVE OCCURRED. 2. LOOKING AT THE GAS TANK LAYOUT THERE IS NO PROTECTION FROM ANY TYPE OF DEBRIS E.G. SKID PLATE, FABRICATION MATERIALS, ETC. THIS MAKES THE GAS TANK VULNERABLE TO PUNCTURE POTENTIALLY CREATING AN UNSAFE CONDITION. 3. THE TANK IS NON SELF-SEALING TO MINIMIZE THE RELEASE OF FUEL. 4. THERE IS AN INADEQUATE HEAT SHIELD IN PLACE TO PREVENT FUEL FROM REACHING THE EXHAUST AND IGNITING. 5. THERE IS A POTENTIAL WORKMANSHIP ISSUE WITH THE GAS TANKS AS THEY MAY BE TOO BRITTLE AND UNABLE TO WITHSTAND THE IMPACT AS TESTED. AS THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A COLLISION IN WHICH RUPTURED THE GAS TANK. THERE WAS ALSO ONLY A VERY SMALL AREA OF BURRING THAT RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT CRACK TO THE FUEL TANK. *NM